The Best Years of Their Lives
by Lucky'linist333
Summary: Pg-13 to be safe. Dylan's a QB, Rommie's a cheerleader, Trance is the new student with a genetic skin disease... a funny story about our fav characters during their High School years. What surprises await for your favorite character?
1. The first day

AN: another funny short story from the mind of Sam!

Cast:

Dylan Hunt-the all-American QB, hot-shot

Rommie-cheerleader, Dylan's girlfriend

Trance-Bio student, genetic skin problem

Harper-shop student, Trance's friend, has a crush on Beka

Steve Rhade-second string football player, kiss ass

Beka-has a crush on Rhade, part time mechanic

Louisa-gymnast, overachiever (aka fun to make fun of!)

Setting- Tarn Vedra High school (lol)

Football practice had just ended, Dylan trotted off the field to his beautiful girlfriend. She kissed him and said that she'd wait while he took a shower. He gave her a smack on the ass before hitting the showers.

Rommie sat on the bleachers with her pom-poms by her bag, her rear stinging, slightly. She pulled out a compact and checked her make-up.

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Beka rolled out from under the '87 Chrysler she was working on for her dad.

"Bekers, you got ten minutes before school!" her brother called out. Rafe was a high-school drop out, he hated 'the system', he had said.

Beka was determined to get her diploma, she wouldn't be stuck in this no-account town!

She changed her clothes and brushed out her hair, currently blonde with bronze highlights. Her mother was a beautician, and loved to experiment with her daughter's hair. This often resulted in Beka being teased by the "bimbos-with-pompoms".

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Trance shut the door of her car, snagging her sleeve. "Shit!" she muttered. A tiny patch of purplish skin poked through. She had recently acquired a genetic disease, called Spurtyspiculima-something or other. Her skin had turned purple and she'd grown and inch taller. She felt like a freak.

This was her first day, her mom kept insisting that she'd be fine. For now the only kid she knew was Harper, her old childhood friend. She grabbed her bag and walked inside, pulling her hood over her face.

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Rhade dressed quickly, he hoped that he'd have some extra time to stop by _her_ locker. He wanted to drop a note in there before class started.

Louisa. The name and face of the beautiful gymnast floated around in his head. He'd tried to be debonair around her, like Dylan, but he just couldn't. The quarter back had a certain quality that just attracted girls. Maybe it was his car, the BMW his parents had bought him for his seventeenth birthday, or maybe it was his hair. Oh, shit-like _he_ knew?

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Harper sat down in the shop class, just as the bell rang. The day's project was on the board, how to disassemble a carburetor. He snorted. Amateurs, he had assembled his first carburetor when he was twelve. His eyes flicked around, and landed on another board, one with instructions on how to make a PT Cruiser with just foil. That sounded like fun! Maybe he could give it to Beka…(his crush) He knew she loved to work on cars-this might be just the thing!

She'd known him since 6th grade. He felt like he'd known her forever. They'd been friends off and on, he was there to help her through her addiction, he was the one who was there to help her when her parents split, but every time they'd gotten too close, Beka had pushed him away.

A small part of him felt like it was hopeless. For all he knew-it was. She had a crush on the new guy, a second-string football player, Steve Rhade. Shit! Some guys just had all the luck.

(lunch)

Dylan sat down next to some of his buds. Roy was trying to see if he could get a whole hamburger down in one bite. He was a little depressed that Rommie had first lunch while he had second.

To his little fan club, that meant no more watching Dylan make out with her. In their opinion, this was the best thing to ever happen! Christmas had come four months early!

He smiled at them, flashing his surgically enhanced teeth.

Steve sat across the room. 'Show off!' he scoffed to himself. He also had been let down by the lunch periods. Louisa had gotten fourth lunch, while he had second.

Suddenly, a unison scream erupted from the cheerleaders. One had black-berry jelly all over her hair and new-white-shirt. He stared around, trying to figure out who did it, and landed on Beka, laughing uncontrollably. She looked up, saw him, and fell out of her chair.

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'NO! He did not see that!' she moaned to herself. She sat up again, trying to hide her red face behind a geometry book. 'Damnit!' she looked up, he was picking up his tray and leaving. Or so she thought.

He sat down right next to her. She lowered the book and saw a smirk cover his face.

"I'm not sure Davinci's physics were meant to be used that way," he smiled.

"I didn't do that, I just found it hysterical," she said quickly.

Steve was about to ask who did, but at that very moment, Harper stood up and took a bow, to much applause.

"Go figure," Beka said.

Steve dug into his macaroni and cheese. "Is this real, you think?" he asked, the congealed food sliding off of his fork.

"I-I can't say," grinned Beka. Her own food didn't look much better, PB&J and coffee.

"Mmm, lunch of champions," Rhade said sarcastically.

"Better than the yellow goo we affectionately call Mac-n-cheese," Beka replied.

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Harper sat down from his bow, grinning at the cheerleaders. He glanced over at Beka to see if she was watching. His heart sank, she was sitting with Steve, and worse-she was smiling.

Trance shuffled into the lunchroom and ducked as a glob of jelly came flying at her. It landed on a cheerleader. She looked out over the many heads of the different students. After finding Harper, she moved to go sit next to him.

"Hi…" he said as she sat down. "Who are you?"

"Seamus, it's me, Trance?" she replied.

"No…you're purple, Trance was normal colored," he said bluntly.

"Harper, you lackwit! It _is_ me!" she said. She showed him the scar he'd given her when they'd fallen out of his tree house.

"Oh…hey Trance," he said.

"Yeah, thanks for the warm welcome," she smirked.

"Hey, most people don't like to sit with me, ok, of course I'm a little suspicious," he said, taking a sip of his cola.

"Whatever…that's bullshit," she smiled, eating a French fry. "So…you got something against cheerleaders?"

"Yeah, they're blondes with boobs who don't want to go out with me. I get my revenge as it comes," he smirked.

"Glad to see your wit hasn't worn itself out by now," she said. She watched as the cheerleader tried to get jelly out of her hair with a spoon. (lmao)

AN: tah-dah! That's what happens when Sam is stuck inside with nothing to do! Note to self: get stuck inside more often! Isn't life great? I don't particularly like the cheerleaders I've met-so if I offended anyone its becuz I haven't met you personally!


	2. The gymnast's incident

Thanx to everyone who reviewed! I really enjoy reading them!

Jade: you wanted Rhade to be a baseball player, well I couldn't do that, so I made him a Braves fan for you!

Chapter 2

Rommie's heart skipped a beat, her foot fell off of the elliptical she was exercising on.

Gabe.

She watched as the swimmer stepped out of the pool and dried off with a towel. She knew she shouldn't be staring, but he was sooo much cuter than Dylan was.

NO! She was Dylan's girl! He deserved much better than this!

Awww, but Gabe is so hot and tender and smart and kind and funny and protective and sweet and caring…

'AND DYLAN ISN'T?!' she screamed at herself. Dylan really likes you! Be faithful to him!

'Yeah, but has he said he loves you?' a voice in her head slyly asked. Has Gabe?

Rommie stepped out of the exercise room and sat on the bench. She took a sip of her PowerAde© thoughtfully.

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_**Support your school! Join a team! Show school spirit!**_

That's what the sign said. Beka laughed. She knew the perfect way to support her school…it involved the gymnast's beam and grease…

She ran to the gym.

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Steve sat down just as the announcer came over the microphone.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gents! Glad to see such a turnout for today's sporting event! Tarn Vedra High vs. Seefras Academy! Today we'll be seeing Louisa-wait how do you pronounce her last name?" the announcer said. "Oh, Louisa some-French-name-I-can't-pronounce, here as a foreign exchange student!"

Beka chortled into her hand. Even the announcer couldn't pronounce her last name! Ha!

Steve's face lit up as Louisa walked out with the rest of the gymnasts, and sat on their bench.

"First up, Molly Gilliam!" the voice boomed. A brunette walked out onto the floor and prepared her pose. "She'll be performing on the floor," the man said over the mic.

Music played and the girl started her routine. Slowly, too slowly for Steve, the girls moved down the bench. Finally, it was _her_ turn.

Louisa walked over to the beam with a firm look in her eyes. The music started.

Suddenly, when she went to turn about, she slipped and fell right off the beam! The coach rushed out to see if she was alright. The crowd gasped in alarm.

Beka, satisfied with her work, left quietly. She walked a block down the road and entered her father's garage, laughing hysterically.

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"Did you hear about Louisa?"

"Yeah, fell right off of that bar! And in front of _everybody_!"

Trance rolled her eyes. 'Why does everybody need to know about that? Are their own lives too boring?' she thought.

She briskly walked past the gossiping girls and into her Biology room. The bell rang.

The girls behind her whispered as well.

"I can't believe it! How could she? She was really good!"

"Yeah, I'd like to thank whoever knocked her off of her high horse!"

"Oh, come on! She's not _that _stuck up!"

"I'm on her team-trust me, she's _beyond_ stuck up."

"Omigod!"

The teacher came in and the gossip died down. He began to ramble on about the upcoming semester.

'Yeah, yeah, get on with it!' Trance thought.

He eventually began explaining the rules of the Bio lab. After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang. Trance blinked her eyes, trying to wake up.

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(that night)

Dylan pulled up to her house. After making sure that his 'baby', the BMW, was perfect, he rang the doorbell.

Rommie ran out and jumped in the car. Her little brother followed with an assortment of cosmetics on. Blue eyeshadow rimmed his nose and hot pink lip gloss tinted his cheeks.

"Don't ask!" she yelled to Dylan as he stood there dumbfounded.

"Ok…" he said. Rommie's mother came out and tried in vain to grab her son's shirt.

Dylan got in the car and drove down to the pizzeria. Rommie clicked on the seat warmer, unbeknownst to Dylan. Soon he felt heat crawling up his thighs, Rommie laughed at his reaction.

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Harper and Trance plowed their way through their second pizza. Trance finished and slapped the table.

"Ha! I knew I could eat ten slices faster than you could!" she announced victoriously.

"Wait, hold on, we were having a contest?" he asked, slurping his Sparky Cola.

"…That's how you normally eat?" Trance asked, in mock-horror. "Remind me not to sit next to you at Thanksgiving!"

Dylan and his girlfriend walked through the door. A slight blush covered Dylan's face, Rommie giggled as he tried to cover it. They sat down and a waiter walked over to them.

"Well, glad to see Cap'n Cock-and-Lock is learning how to deal with embarrassment," Trance said darkly.

"Ooh, vindictive are we?" Harper asked.

"Yeah, he's in Trig with me, he owns the term 'total ass'. I can't see how women flock to him. He has his own fan club you know?" Trance crumbled her napkin.

"Glad to see that the 'I hate stupid guys who act like they rule the world and need to be slapped' club has a new member," Harper laughed.

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Beka walked around the stack of CDs and saw Steve there. She quickly doubled back, but it was too late. He'd seen her.

"Beka," he greeted.

"Hi, Rhade," she smiled briefly. Her eyes flicked to the CD he was holding.

"Barry Manilow's greatest hits?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm a sucker for Copa Cabana," he shrugged. His hat fell off. Beka reached down to pick it up.

"You're a Braves fan?" Beka asked suspiciously.

He shrugged again. "My whole family is."

"Rhade, that's the worst excuse I've heard! And I live with a family of liars!"

Steve took the hat and placed it back on his neatly kept hair. Beka felt something inside her twitch.

AN: there's Chappie 2, please review! If you're really extra special nice then... I dunno...Santa will give you the Telemachus Rhade action figure!


	3. Girls gone wild

AN: to everyone who burst into tears when the Telemachus Rhade action figure wasn't found in their stockings, I'm sorry, I'll take it up with the big guy personally. Uhm…those of you who want me to drop the H/B-write it up! I'm considering it.

Hey! I get to kick Louisa outta this now!

Chapter 3

Gone. Louisa was gone. She'd left on the 7:00 plane to France. Steve couldn't believe it! He thought she'd be able to handle a little embarrassment.

He walked through his homeroom's door. The girls were gossiping, the guys were bragging, the nerds were nerdying. Life was good, just absent of Louisa.

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(after school)

Rommie ended cheerleading practice, mainly because the guy in the High Guard mascot suit was watching them do their routine. Frankly, he weireded her out, beyond belief.

The football team could be heard practicing behind them, Dylan and the coach-Bob Triumvir barking orders.

The mascot suddenly took off running, as a small section of the cheerleaders took after him with water guns filled with rotten milk.

Rommie laughed as her 'defense' chased the High Guard guy around the field, theteam even stopped to watch the girls' pursuit.

'Teach him to mess with my girl' Dylan thought. He wiped his brow and looked down at the clipboard, three more plays to go over.

He looked back at the cheerleaders, but only caught a flash of red and navy as the girls ran into the men's locker room. Why?-he had no clue. He just hoped that they knew where they were going…

Rommie finished decorating Dylan's locker. This was a not-so-spontaneous effort to encourage the team to win tonight's game.

Suddenly, a burst of yells erupted from her girls, two were standing by Steve Rhade's locker.

"_I'm_ gonna decorate his locker-bitch!" the blonde yelled as she threw a punch, but missed badly.

"No, he likes _me_ better!" the brunette swung-and missed.

"Ladies, ladies! Please-recite rule number 3," Rommie interrupted.

"No fighting over guys in public," both responded in unison.

"Then stop, if you can't settle your hissy-fits at home, then don't bring them here!"

"That's easy for you to say, you won Dylan single handedly! There wasn't even a chance for us!" the blonde yelled angrily. Murmurs from the rest could be heard.

Rommie felt a sense of rage come over her; she'd gotten Dylan fair-and-square! Rommie jumped on the girl and hit her. Lucky for Rommie, the girl couldn't hit a wall with her own shadow.

The circle of cheerleaders parted as Dylan and the rest of the team walked in.

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Dylan was overcome by a need to allow the girls to continue fighting, but knew he'd eventually have to separate them. His teammates moaned as he stepped in and pulled his Rommie apart from the tall blonde (now sporting abloody lip).

"Let me go!" Rommie shrieked. She clawed at his hand and tried to kick the blonde. "Let-me-go!" she said slowly. She tried in vain to reach the girl, but her boyfriend's arms were too long.

The line-backer stepped in and took the blonde by the shoulder, offering his handkerchief to her. Dylan put Rommie on the ground, but rested his hand heavily on her. She ducked under him and ran to the blonde, only to be restrained by Dylan again.

He picked her up and carried her to his car. She tried to open the door and run, but once again-Dylan caught her.

"Rommie, cool it!" he said as he placed her gently back into the car. "Just relax."

"Dylan, c'mon let me go!" Rommie pleaded.

"No, not unless you tell me why you were fighting," he replied.

"You're really going to let me go?" she asked.

"No," he said. "But, you might as well blow off steam, or suffer the consequences."

"Fine, she said that I don't deserve you, that you didn't get a chance to entertain their whims." Rommie brushed her hair, trying to soothe her nerves.

"Wait, what?!" he asked.

"You heard me!" she said as she shot him a glare.

Dylan drove off with Rommie as the rest of the team watched them with grins on their faces. Steve shook his head, muttering something about prima donas.

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Harper tucked his physics book in his messy locker and tried to shut it. The locker rebounded and opened, all of his stuff falling on the floor.

"Harper!" Trance came up behind him. "Here get out of the way," she quickly arranged his stuff in an orderly chaos kind of way. It wasn't neat-as-a-pin, but it was definitely better than it had been.

"Thanks, your purpliness," he grinned. His books were in order by class period, and all his other junk was stuffed in the plastic crate on the bottom.

"Yeah, just try to keep it that way," she smiled as she stood up.

He shifted his backpack, "Why does it seem that we always end up together in our spare time?"

"Twist of fate?" she suggested. "The universe's sick sense of humor?"

"Okay, I'll buy that, otherwise-all the jocks would be girlfriendless."

"Speaking of jocks, did you hear about Rommie?" Trance smiled.

"No, what?" he asked.

"She got into a bitch fit with a blonde, had to be separated," Trance grinned.

"Bet Cap'n Stupendous feels mighty proud of _that_, his own girl, breaking a rule," Harper muttered.

"Actually, he was the one who separated them," Trance whacked Harper in the back of his head.

"Really?" Harper laughed.

AN: yayness-that fight scene needed to come out! I couldn't hold it back any longer! Was it good? Tell me about it, I'm here for you!


	4. Of Doyle and Gold

AN: Since the reviews, I have decided to cancel any Harper/Beka action, please disregard the earlier mention of any of that! Thanks for your reviews! … And I know, my description of High School is a little stereotypical, but it's still funny!

Chapter 4

Trance sighed as she rolled out of bed, her doctor had given her a new prescription, and it smelled. She glanced in the mirror-and screamed.

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Harper did a double take as Trance walked in the door.

"Trance-what happened?" he asked concerned.

"New prescription," she muttered, pulling her hood down over her face. A flash of gold showed through.

"You're…you're gold!" he said.

"Yes, new prescription," she said shortly. She tucked her gloves in her sleeves.

"Well…I've heard that gold is the new black," he shrugged. "You're a trendsetter. Trance."

"Ha, ha," Trance said sarcastically.

"Don't be so down, you look great," he smiled.

"Whatever," the gold girl sighed.

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Steve sat down in his history class and flashed one of his 'award-winning' smiles at Beka. She smiled back and passed him a note.

"Meet me after class," it read. Steve nodded.

Class ended and Steve and Beka moved off together. Steve hit the pause button on his CD player.

"Berry Manilow?" she asked.

"Oh, no that was for my mom," he shrugged.

"But-" she started.

"Do I want the school to know that I run errands for my mom?" he cut her off.

"Good, so you don't really like Copa Cabana?" she asked.

"Hell no," he chuckled. "So…what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well…since Louisa is gone…"she started nervously.

Steve caught on. "Would you like to go see a movie with me?" he asked, making Beka feel more comfortable.

She gave him a look that clearly stated 'Thank you'. "I'd really enjoy that, just…no soppy chick-flicks. No _Titanic_ for me!"

'Thank God!' he thought. "Okay, Friday then?"

"Sure," she smiled. 'How did this go from me asking him to him asking me?' she wondered as she watched Steve run down the hall as the bell rang. "Oh, shit, I'm late!"

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(Lunch)

Dylan sat down and was amazed to see Rommie walk into the lunchroom. She sat down next to him, her hand touching his leg.

"I thought you had first lunch," he said.

"I _did_, but, I have connections," she smiled. She cracked open her Sprite©, as she flashed as grin at her boyfriend.

"What connections?" he asked.

"It's truly amazing what a showing a bra strap can do for someone like me," she said to particularly no one.

"You did _what_!?" he asked outraged.

"Cool it, it got me what I wanted, didn't it?" she asked.

Dylan struggled over whether or not to lecture his girlfriend. It did get her second lunch, but…she shouldn't be showing her bra strap to anyone but him!

---

Steve watched the two argue over lunch from his table. "Put that in your pants and screw it, Dylan," he muttered.

His day had taken a plummet since asking Beka to the movies. He'd gotten a bad grade on a test, and his lunch sucked. Yogurt with a water bottle, his sister Atlanta's lunch, was what he'd found. "God damn Atkins," he muttered.

Beka wandered over and set a tray of down in front of him. It had two large hamburgers and a chili on it. "You have a girl lunch," she noted, as she took the chili off of the tray.

Steve laughed and took one of the hamburgers. "Thank you, my sister is trying to loose weight."

"What girl our age isn't?" she asked sarcastically. "Have you seen some of the cheerleaders? They look like they're from a third-world country." She pushed a strand of russet colored hair out of her face.

"You're right, we should feed them!" he grinned. He opened the cup of yogurt and threw it at the girls with unnatural accuracy. "Duck and cover," he said mildly as a potato came flying back at them.

Beka dove under the table as Steve blocked a flying glob of pudding with a tray. "I think I found a partner in crime," she laughed as Steve joined her with cheese on his shoulder.

Steve smiled as he wiped the cheese off.

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(The next day) AN: Jade, thanks for this next part

"So what's supposed to happen today, ya wonder?" Trance asked Harper as she slammed her locker shut.

"I think we're getting a new kid," Harper told her, leaning against the wall. "Since we lost the frog-"

"Harper," Trance said warningly.

"Since we lost Frenchie-"

"Harper."

"Since we lost the cheese-eating surrender monkey-"

"_Harper_!"

"Okay, fine," Harper grinned. "Since we lost Louisa, we needed another gymnast, so we stole one from some other high school, Seefras, I think."

"Hm," Trance nodded thoughtfully. "And do you think you'll have a chance with to go out with her because she's new?"

"I never said 'she'," Harper said frowning. "How did you know?"

"Because she just walked in the door, trying to look confident," Trance said, looking over Harper's shoulder.

Harper turned and his mouth dropped open. "Wow," was all he could say.

The new girl wore tight low-cut pink corduroy pants with a matching tank top, and blonde hair held back from her face by a headband, and fell down her shoulders. She was gorgeous and sexy, without looking like a slut.

Trance felt a pang of jealousy.

Harper walked over. "Seamus Zelazny Harper, at your service," he announced with a sweeping bow. He waited for the inevitable slap, sniff of derision; or, in extreme cases, to be told: 'Fuck off, asshole'. None of the above happening, Harper chanced a look upward. "So, you're the new girl?" he asked awkwardly.

"Yeah," the girl looked at him. "What of it?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you had any friends here at Tarn Vedra High," Harper said, desperately trying to think of something.

"No, I don't," the girl replied. "Probably won't get any either." She tipped her head. "My name's Doyle, in case you have a burning need to throw insults at me later."

"Well, Doyle, welcome to Tarn Vedra," Harper said smiling. "I can't say you'll enjoy your stay, but, hell, I need all the friends I can get."

Doyle suddenly looked over Harper's shoulder. "Oh, my God, is she…gold?" she exclaimed, rushing over to Trance.

"Oh, yeah, that's my buddy, Trance," Harper said, trying to keep up.

"That's amazing. Hi, Trance, I'm Doyle," Doyle said quickly. "Could you show me to locker number 531?" She took Trance's elbow. "You know, I was blue once?"

"What?" Trance pulled her arm away and looked at Doyle. "You mean, like me?"

"Almost, except, I looked like I was a part of the _Blue Man Group_, or something," Doyle grinned as Trance giggled. "I'll tell you about it on the way to my locker."

"Okay," Trance said happily, all jealousy melting away, and she started to lead Doyle.

"Well, it started when my older brother took this blue powder used to color soap, ya know? That's what he does to make some extra money. Anyway, he put it in my moisturizing lotion…"

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"Nice lunch," Doyle said sarcastically, later as the three friends went to find a table. "Why don't we sit here?" she asked, indicating a table.

Trance and Harper shook their heads. "No, we can't sit _there_," Harper announced.

"Why?"

"Cheerleaders/jock table," Trance replied, starting to move on. "We don't fit into either of those categories, we have to sit somewhere else."

Doyle grinned. "Here seems fine," she put down her tray with a clatter, motioning for Harper and Trance to sit with her.

"I dunno, I have a bad feeling about this," Harper said nervously as the cheerleaders approached with their lunches.

A blonde super-skinny girl stopped in front of Doyle. "Oh," she said derisively. "The new girl is in my seat."

"That's our cue to leave," Harper said, standing up.

Doyle's hand snapped out and grabbed Harper's arm, forcing him to sit back down. "Oh, you're _Emily_," Doyle said in a falsely cheerful and bright voice. "I know about you, you're the one everyone pretends to like because you're rich, then, as soon as you turn your back, they say what a snobby bitch you are."

The lunchroom quieted as Doyle slowly stood up to face Emily.

"Is that a fact?" the cheerleader said, readying a fist.

"Yeah, remember, I'm the 'new girl', I hear everything." Doyle spread her arms, inviting Emily to hit her.

The lunchroom erupted into noise as people started placing bets.

All Emily saw was a flash of red highlights, followed by a resounding slap across the face, and she fell back into her seat. She looked up, in shock hand going to her cheek.

Rommie was standing with her hands on her hips. "Emily, you know the rules about new people. Talk first, bitch slap later. You didn't give her a chance, so you lose." She turned to Doyle. "Feel free to sit down, you and your friends. Anyone who's willing to stand up to that whore is good in my book."

Emily made a strangled noise.

Rommie looked back at her. "Oh, Emily, darling, are you still here? You may go," she made a shooing motion. "So, you're Trance and Harper, right?"

"Yeah that's us," Harper said, sliding over to sit proudly between Rommie and Doyle. "You know, the Freak and the Geek."

"Harper!" Trance shouted, shocked.

Rommie looked up at Trance and a sudden smile lit up her face. "Your skin…is that natural?"

Trance shifted nervously. "Yeah, sort of."

"She'll be perfect!" one of the cheerleaders squealed.

Rommie had a happy smile as she motioned for Trance to sit across from her. "I've been thinking of this new routine…"

Harper looked gratefully at Doyle. "That was amazing."

Doyle shrugged modestly.

"Will you go out with me?"

Doyle laughed, startled. "Sure," she said, smiling.

"Great, trust in the Harper, the Harper is good," he said triumphantly.

Rommie's Secret-thanks, so glad you like it!

Harper's Pixie-that's my plan (oh, wait, I can't tell you that!)

Randomidiot-please, don't mention that again lol

Killerbee-thanks so much!

Vampiregirl-Harper/Beka –gone!

Prin69-yes, Beka is very stalkable, hehe sorry about the Steve Action figure 

Vee017-more Rhade/Beka, as you asked!


	5. Dates and Dylan

Beka made a note on her calendar for Friday. She would make sure she remembered her date with Steve.

After she made a little star by the memo (plus lots of colors and dots and circles and arrows), she ran downstairs and into the garage. Her brother handed her a cup of coffee and slid under his "darling", the '67 convertible. Reluctantly, Beka scooted under her car and finished the work.

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(Friday)

Steve hit the showers after practice, looking forward to going to see _White Noise_ with Beka that evening. He planned to get take out and eat in his car. The drive-in was actually showing this, instead of '60s movies no one remembered.

Dylan stepped out of the shower and Rhade closed his eyes. Yes, Dylan was well equipped, but he did NOT want to see proof of that! It was bad enough that he flaunted his superiority over the single guys. But that would change for him…

After changing into jeans and his favorite vintage T-shirt, he checked his watch. Beka was supposed to meet him in one hour, hopefully she would. He'd had his fair share of stand-ups (and done his share of them), not necessarily an experience he wanted with Beka.

He sat in his car by the pizzeria, fifteen minutes left…ten minutes …five… four …three…two… and, nothing!

Steve waited another twenty minutes, but she didn't come. He drove to the movies hoping against hope that she'd be waiting for him. No sign of Beka.

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Beka rolled out from under the car. "Rafe! What time is it?" she yelled. She didn't want to be late.

"It's nine, why?" he answered. "Oh, your date with Sam?…Stou?…"

"NO!" she shouted. She checked the kitchen clock, and sure enough it was 9:00. She was two hours late.

"What do you think the chances are that Steve's still waiting for me?" she asked Rafe, not really expecting an answer.

"Would _you_ wait two hours for a guy, Bekers?" he responded.

"Shit!" she said. She frantically tried to get changed, but in the middle of pulling her jeans on, realized that Steve wasn't going to be there waiting for her.

Sobbing, she fell back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling.

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(Monday)

Steve slammed his locker shut, frustration pounded in his head. 'Why didn't she come?' he asked himself angrily. She'd been the one who had asked _him_ out! What gave her the gall to leave him?!

Suddenly, Beka came in through the doors, her face showed no emotion. She glanced up and saw Rhade. Quickly, she turned a corner, but not before he saw her.

He caught up with her and grabbed her hand. "Beka, where were you last night?" he asked. All bad feelings pushed to the back of his head when he saw her face, her beautiful face.

"I'm sorry, my dad had me working late, I didn't finish 'til nine," she said weakly. She looked into Steve's deep brown eyes, and saw an emotion she couldn't quite register. Concern? Maybe jealousy?

"Beka," he made direct eye contact. "Is that what really happened?" He wanted to believe her, why would she tell him anything else?

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, I was gonna run out after I finished, but by then I thought it was too late." She shifted her backpack from one shoulder to another.

'Unease?' he thought, 'is she holding something back?' He had always tried to be honest with girls, and expected the same back. "Never mind, I wanted to make sure you were okay, I didn't know what to think," he said, smiling faintly. "See you at lunch?" he asked.

"Can't miss it," she said.

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Trance and Doyle walked in laughing; they and Harper had spent the weekend watching a _Law and Order_: _SVU_ marathon. Of course, Harper watched it in hopes that some skin would be shown.

"Yeah, that one about the prostitute slaying, Harper couldn't take his eyes off of the screen!" Trance giggled.

"Hey, I was looking for evidence they might have missed!" Harper said defensively.

Doyle and Trance shared a look then burst out laughing. "Sure, Harper, too bad they solved the case without your help!" Doyle grinned.

He opened his mouth but was cut off by Doyle. "Hey, look, I gotta go, see ya guys at lunch, okay?" she smiled.

"Sure," Trance replied.

"So, what did Rommie want you to do for her?" he asked, referring to the thing the cheerleader had spoken of during Friday's lunch.

"Oh," Trance grinned, "nothing." She sauntered off to her first class.

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(Lunch)

Steve sat down with Beka, relieved to see her.

"Hey, you actually have a _lunch_ today!" Beka smirked.

"Yeah, Atlanta threw a hissy-fit because she had to eat my lunch," he grinned. He bit into his sandwich, turkey falling out of the end.

Beka rolled her eyes and handed him the extra turkey. "Here," she held out her hand.

He took it from her palm, his large hand enveloping hers. Their hands stayed there for a moment, but quickly Beka withdrew hers.

"So…" Steve said, trying to break the awkward silence, "what do you have for lunch, today?"

Beka grinned and held up her cup of coffee.

"Wow, nutritious," Steve said sarcastically. He slid her his bowl of soup.

"No, you need it for today's practice," she said as she slid the soup back.

"Do I have to force-feed you?" he asked. "I don't want you to turn out like them," he said, pointing at Emily and her clique.

"No, really, I'm fine," she said.

"Not by my standards," Steve said, holding a spoonful of soup out to her.

"Will you stop making a scene?" she muttered.

"Will you go out with me?" he replied just as quickly.

"If I say yes, will you let me drink my coffee in peace?" she smirked.

"Maybe, maybe not, I don't like skinny girlfriends," he shrugged.

"One date does not make us a couple!" she laughed.

"Hey-it would've been two, but…" he trailed off.

"Will you stop bringing that up? I said I was sorry," she shook her head.

"Fine, but then you owe me another," he smirked.

"Another _what_?" she asked suspiciously.

"Another date, duh," Rhade said.

"You planned this, didn't you? You evil, conniving, scheming, albeit handsome, person!" she laughed.

He held up his hands, "Guilty, especially the hadnsome part."

Beka laughed and took the soup.

---

Doyle and Trance sat next to Rommie, talking about the big game coming up.

"So, Trance, have you got those moves down?" Rommie asked.

"Yep, it was easy," the golden girl smiled.

"What moves?" Harper asked.

The girls shared a look. "It's a surprise, Harper."

"Oh, great, Harper's been excluded," he rolled his eyes.

Doyle kissed him on the cheek. "C'mon, love, be a sport," she grinned as Harper blushed.

"So, are you two finally a couple?" Rommie asked, giggling.

Harper's face split into a grin, "No, not yet," he said, laughing at the (mock-disgusted) look on Doyle's face.

"So, why aren't you sitting with Dylan?" Trance implored.

"He doesn't need to be with me all the time," she grinned.

"Really, the way he acts-" Harper started.

"What, Harper?" Rommie asked, her glance shutting him up.

"Nothing," he said. He shifted uneasily.

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(After school)

Rommie stepped into Dylan's car, still wearing her cheerleading uniform.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Babe?" Dylan asked cheerfully as he sat down. But his eyes betrayed him; fear consumed them.

"I…I don't think this is working, Dylan," she said, not meeting his eyes.

"What?"

"I…I think…I think we should," she gulped, "I think we should break up."

Dylan's face went blank. Rommie started to get out of the car, but he grabbed her arm. She pulled at it, but he wouldn't let go.

"Dylan, let go," she pleaded.

He shook his head and tightened his grip.

"Dylan, let go!" she said, angrily clawing at his hand.

"No," he growled.

Rommie, upset over his reaction, packed a punch right into his chest. He groaned and let go. She grabbed her bag and ran over to the rest of the girls.

AN: yep, you read the right thing! Hehehehe, now Rommie can run right to Gabe…(ooh, not supposed to tell you that)

KillerQueen2721:thanks for going with me on the partner in crime thingy!

Prin69: hehe, yeah, I try and get Dylan bashing in, whenever I can

Vee017: yeah, Rhade can't be a sob-ass, he can't! glad you like the gold transformation

Eris: yea, so unfair! No _Andromeda_ anction figures?

Miikka: thanks, really happy you like it!


	6. Mexican food

There he was, waiting for her, waiting to talk to her. Man, word gets around fast!

Rommie walked past Gabe, smiling at him. The rumors were true, she had broken up with Dylan, and he was going to swoop in and make her forget everything about _him_.

Gabe couldn't help but to feel nervous, he'd had a girlfriend before, but not like Rommie. How could he handle her, she'd had Mr. Perfect Boyfriend.

He opened the door for her as they walked into Civics class together.

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Trance copied the Trig notes, a test was coming up and she was still having difficulties with this chapter. Math was never her strongest subject. Though the clear right or wrong answers appealed to her, there weren't enough alternatives.

"Omigod, she hit him?" one of the girls behind her whispered, obviously one of Dylan's fans. "Is he okay? How upset is he?"

That voice seemed oddly familiar, was she a cheerleader? No, they wouldn't be talking about Rommie behind her back like this. But she remembered hearing that voice, yelling, maybe screaming around the football field as they practiced.

'The High Guard mascot guy is a girl?' she thought to herself. No, that was too weird. But, who knew? A chill ran down her spine.

"Class, solve equations five through seven for homework. It's not a lot, but I expect it done." The teacher closed his book and sat down at his computer.

Trance quickly caught up with Doyle, she was standing in front of her locker, trying to open the lock.

Harper swooped up out of no-where and slammed his hand into the locker. Amazingly, it opened.

"Iwanted you to open my locker, not break it," Doyle commented.

"Hey, sometimes high-tech problems require low-tech solutions," he shrugged.

Doyle shook her head and smiled at Trance. "Hey, have you heard?"

"Yeah, there's a rumor mill with a hundred horse power here," Trance muttered.

"Heard what?" Harper asked.

"Yeah, I know, interesting, huh?," Doyle replied, ignoring Harper's question.

"Heard _what_?" Harper asked again, exasperation flecked his speech.

"I'm looking forward to the game this Saturday, can't wait," Doyle said.

"Yeah, that's all you two talk about, what's so special about this _game_ anyway?" Harper muttered.

"I...I can't tell you," Trance started.

"If she did, we'd have to kill you," Doyle finished.

"Uh huh," Harper said. He didn't like to be left out of the loop, but it's not he had anything to add to the topic. His cousin's voice rang in his ears. _Those who wait for information to come to them spend a lot of time waiting by the phone; those who go get it have something to say when it rings_

"Hey, Trance, we have to get to Biology, see you at lunch Harper," Doyle smiled cheerfully.

Harper shuffled down the hall to his shop class. As soon as he walked through the door, a cross-section of a Harley-Davidson met his eyes.

'Hehehehe, this'll be fun,' Harper thought. He copied down the instructions and got to work on his Davidson part, the engine. Mr. McDonahue really liked him, always gave him the best machine parts and was never reprimanded.

Harper was deeply involved with his wrench when the rest of the class settled down. All thoughts of "the game" were forgotten.

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Rommie jumped when the bell rang, her Spanish class was over; Señora was done with the lesson. Quickly she gathered her books and ran to her locker. After opening it, a small note card fell out of her jacket with a sunflower. She set her books down and read it.

_Hey Rommie, how are you? I've admired you for quite some time and have now summed up the courage to ask you out. If you will please meet me at the Chem. Lab at dismissal, I'd be glad to reveal my identity to you.  
__G_

"This day is too much for me, how did he get this inside my jacket?" she asked herself. The idea that she had a stalker was too far-fetched. She even entertained the idea that it might be Dylan. Such thoughts discouraged the idea that she had a secret admirer.

Her gaze went back to the last sentence. The Chem. Lab? Why that? She had English Literature as her last period, Chemistry was as far as could be!

"Oh, well, it's not like I have anything better to do" she muttered as she grabbed her History book.

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Beka stared out of the window as Mrs. James discussed the principality of Monaco. She'd had a hard time concentrating today, Steve had asked her to dinner; she knew the perfect little Mexican restaurant. It was family owned, nothing like _Chi-Chi's _or _Chili's_ or _Taco Bell_. She was thrilled when Steve said he liked Mexican food. Frankly, it was her favorite.

Mrs. James droned on, quickly losing the classes attention. Steve slumped in his chair. He had recently perfected the ability of sleeping with one's eyes open. It came in handy.

'So, we're actually going on our first date, hopefully she won't miss it,' he thought drowsily.

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(After dismissal)

Rommie walked to the Chem. Lab, pushing her way through the people trying to leave. 'Come on, just a few feet further,' she thought. She reached the door and saw a little note.

_Rommie, if you're reading this, then I'm glad. Your curiosity is definitely a good thing. Now, let's see if I can test it… Meet me at the bleachers, please.  
__G_

'G?' she thought, perplexed. What kind of wild goose chase is this? She _should_ stop now and go home, but…her thoughts of meeting him got the better of her. 'Oh, what the hell?' she shrugged.

She walked outside and caught sight of a guy by the bleachers. His dark hair shone in the sun and his face lit up when he saw her. He smiled as she came near; it was Gabe who had sent her on this excursion? 'Omigod, omigod, omigod," she thought as she crossed the space between them.

He handed her a sunflower, with a mischievous grin.

"You?" she asked.

"Me, like I said, I've been admiring you, but haven't you done the same to me?" he said.

Her face displayed her confusion.

"I've seen you exercise during my swim practices, I've seen you glance down at me, I'm not blind," he chuckled.

She opened her mouth, but shut it again. Slowly, she smiled. "Damn, you're too perceptive."

He laughed at that. He took her hand and held it.

"To what do I owe thee, fine gentleman?" she asked coyly.

He kissed her hand, just like Clark Gable had done to Vivien Leigh. He stepped back and watched her face.

"Would you like to go see a movie with me?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

"Yeah, sure, I'd really enjoy that," she grinned.

He let go of her hand and ran over to the gym. Something crinkled inside it, his number.

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Dylan watched as Gabe kissed _his_ girlfriend's hand. Jealousy flared within him. His heart was wrung as he watched her lean against the bleachers and smile.

What had he done wrong? Wasn't he good to her? His mind mulled over this.

Hell would freeze over before he got her back. _She_ broke up with him; he couldn't just waltz in and use the "I'm so sorry, I need you" line. No, she was serious.

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(That night)

Beka pulled her hair back; Steve was due in any minute.

Rafe knocked on her door. "Bekers, your boyfriend is downstairs, talking to Dad," he said through the door.

"Oh, no, please no!" she said as she ran down the stairs. She found Rhade sitting on the couch; he was wearing an Atlanta Braves hat and jeans. He looked sexy as sin. 'Forgive me father, for I have sinned...' she thought.

"Hey Steve," she smiled as he stood up. She turned to her dad, "We're going to a restaurant, then probably just hang out for a bit, I'll probably be home by eleven." She knew the routine.

Steve waved goodbye to Mr. Valentine and walked out with Beka. "Your dad's a cool guy," he said.

"Oh, yeah? Normally he would grill any guy I bring home, family, criminal records, past relationships, etc." She grinned.

"Hey, he's a Cowboys fan, he's alright by me," Steve shrugged.

He opened the door for her and waited for Beka to get in. "Mr. Gentleman aren't we?" she asked.

"Your dad is watching through the window," he said.

She waved once more to him as Steve put the key in the ignition.

When they reached the restaurant door, Beka turned to him. "Take your hat off."

"Raise your right hand," he laughed. (Shameless miff on the Stooges)

"No, seriously, it's rude to wear a hat inside a restaurant, Steven." Beka glared at him.

"Ooh, full name, I'm in trouble," he said, quickly swiping his hat off. Beka kissed his cheek and walked in.

The seating hostess showed them their table. As Beka went to go sit down, Steve pulled her chair out for her. "Thank you, I think," she said, grinning.

She looked over the names, trying to decide between quesadillas or fajitas. Suddenly, a man in a Phillies hat walked by their table. Steve looked pleadingly at Beka.

"No," she said.

"But, Beka…"

"No, Steve."

"If he'd wearing his, then I'm wearing mine," he said, pulling the hat back on.

The chatter and clinking of silverware stopped, Beka covered her face. "Steve this is a predominantly Phillies place." She shook her head.

"If you'd told me that, then I would have worn my hoodie," he smiled.

"Steve, give me the hat," she said.

"Awww, Beka…" he moaned.

She reached forward and took his hat. He frowned and looked down at his menu.

…

The restaurant door closed. "That's it, next time, I pick the food joint," Steve said, holding a doggie-bag.

"Fine, but no McDonald's" she said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because I don't like going to places that require me to 'drive up to the next window, please'," she said.

"Oh, you're a sophisticated person…are you an Eagles fan?" he asked quickly.

"What? That has nothing to do with this conversation, but no I'm not." She shook her head.

"Good," he smiled.

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The next day, Steve opened his locker to find bubble wrap stuffed in it, a note was tucked in the center.

_Sophisticated people play chess,_

_Red-Necks can amuse themselves for hours with a simple sheet of bubble wrap_

_-Jeff Foxworthy_

Steve laughed and walked into his classroom. After the announcements came on, he started playing with the bubble wrap.

Pop...pop…

"Steve!" Beka smiled behind him.

He popped a few more…pop…pop…pop…

AN: All props to Jade Rhade (luv ya, megz) for coming up with that scene, thanks hon! Much love! Oh, and no, Rhade really isn't a hick, that's just a little humor, don't worry!

**Harper's Pixie**-not so sure about the Harper/Trance anymore…glad you like the story!

**Miikka**- yeah, he's hot, but at least he won't be like "Bow down to me, I am God"

**Prin69**-yeah, soup…definitely a turn-on lol, yep-right into Gabe's out-stretched arms.

**ZELINIA**- thanks, this'll last maybe 3 more chappies at the most

**Eris**- I dunno, this might just end before summer vaca, :Laughs manically:

**Vee017**-I hate it when those "She doesn't like me" things drag on…Dylan won't really be a jackass, just a little OoC, S!Dylan…maybe :)

**Naira**- yeah, I added some classes for you, hope you liked it!


	7. Meet the Parents

Chapter 7

Trance stepped out of the locker room. It was five in the afternoon. Cheerleading practice had gone well, she had the moves to her choreography down. This weekend's game was going to go well. Seefra versus Tarn Vedra, this was the battle of the archrivals. Everyone was so excited about it.

"Trance, will you wait for me?" Doyle called out. "I want to show you the outfit I'm wearing tonight."

"Fine," Trance groaned in mock-exasperation.

Doyle opened the door and flaunted her clothes to Trance. She was wearing a pair of black-cropped jeans and an off-the-shoulder blouse. Her hair was swept up in a messy bun that was kind of Boho-sexy. Her makeup centered on her eyes, dramatic with liquid eyeliner. To top it all off, she had the most adorable pumps Trance had ever seen.

"Wow, we _have_ to go shopping one day!" Trance said. "I love your outfit! Harper'll drool over his pizza!" She laughed.

"You think? We're going to Pizza Hut, romantic huh?" Doyle grinned.

"He definitely knows how to sweep a woman off of her feet," Trance replied sarcastically. "But, whatever, it's still a date!" she grinned.

Harper walked around the bleachers and stood behind Doyle. "Hey, Trance, ya seen Doyle?" he asked, totally oblivious to the girl in front of him.

Doyle turned around. Harper looked her over once before whistling through his teeth. " Burn baby, burn!" he said in a husky tone.

"You ready?" Doyle asked, closing Harper's jaw with a finger.

"Uh huh," he said, his jaw dropping open again.

"I have a feeling I'll be doing this all night," she muttered to Trance, shutting his jaw again.

Harper and Doyle got in Harper's car (which he had borrowed from his dad) and drove down the road.

Rommie came up behind Trance. "They make a cute couple, you know?" she smiled.

"Yeah, kind of like you and Gabe," the golden girl replied.

Rommie blushed, flattered. "Ssh! No one's supposed to know about that!" she grinned in mock-secrecy.

"Oh, okay," Trance giggled.

Rommie waved goodbye and climbed into her mom's minivan, the sound of shouting kids reached Trance's ears as they drove away.

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'Couples, couples, couples,' Steve thought as he settled into his seat during lunch. Rommie and Gabe, Harper and that new girl, Doyle, and Dylan and Sarah Reilly, the girl who was the High Guard mascot guy; all three of those couples had sprung up over the weekend.

Of course, he couldn't forget his relationship with Beka. His ego was still bruised from the beating Beka had given him at Pac-man at the arcade.

Tonight he was going to introduce Beka to his parents, and his grandfather. It would be interesting, to say the least.

Beka sat down next to him. She smiled and took a bite of her sandwich. "So, what's your family like?" she asked, after she had swallowed.

"My mom's a homemaker and my dad's a police lieutenant, I've got one sister-"

"Atlanta," Beka added.

"Yeah, Atlanta, and I've got three little brothers, also I lived with my grandfather, he's a retired Navy captain." Steve said, sipping his Cola.

"A Navy Captain? What's that like?" Beka asked.

"It's okay, although all of his stories always begin with 'When I was in the Navy…' it gets really annoying," he shrugged.

"Your family sounds normal," Beka noted.

"Compared to what? A circus?" he smirked.

"Well, my family, for starters. My mom's a beautician, my brother's a dropout, and my dad's a mechanic. I'll need to join the army to pay for my college!" she said in a mild tone.

"You're going to college? What do you want to study?" Steve asked.

"Oh, you know…"

"No, I don't," Steve replied.

"I want to do something in aeronautics," she said quietly.

"Well that's good," Steve reassured her.

"Tell my brother, he says that the 'system' has brainwashed me because I haven't left school yet," she said in a bunny-hops-over-the-rainbow-and-has-lunch-with leprechauns-voice.

That night, Steve picked Beka up from her house.

"You ready to meet the Rhades?" he asked.

"Sure, why not?" she said, smoothing her pants.

They pulled into the driveway and parked. Steve took a deep breath as they approached the door. His mother opened it and smiled.

"Come in, come in!" she greeted warmly.

Beka walked in with Steve. His sister came up and shook her hand.

"You must be Beka," she said.

"You must be Atlanta," Beka replied. "Steve's told me a lot about you."

"Is that was he has you call him?" Atlanta asked.

"Honestly, you have a good strong name!" his mother said.

Steve blushed.

"It's old!" he said.

"It's been in the family for so long!" his mother replied.

"His name is Telemachus," Atlanta piped up.

"Bless you!" Beka said involuntarily.

"I didn't sneeze," the girl said.

"His name is Telemachus Rhade," his mother said.

Telemachus took Beka's hand and gently pulled her away from his mother and sister.

"Telemackutussess?" Beka asked.

"Yeah, can you see why I chose Steve instead?" he muttered.

Steve brought her into what appeared to be the family room. An elderly man sat in a chair with a man who must have been Steve/Telemachus's father.

"Grandpa? Dad?" he asked.

The two men looked away from the television screen.

"This is my girlfriend, Beka," he introduced her.

"Beka, this is my dad, and my Grandpa Gaheris," he said to her.

"Oh, nice to meet you!" Beka said warmly.

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AN: Short chapter, yes, but I need to transition to the final one! Probably like chapter 9 or something. Suggestions? Is there a certain way you want this to end? Let me know!


	8. The Big Game

Chapter 8 (Sorry it took so long!)

It seemed as if the entire school had tried to fit into Pizza Hut. Beka, Rommie, Gabe, Harper, Doyle, and Trance sat in a huge booth. A waitress smiled as she set five pizzas in front of them. In the corner, Dylan and the rest of the football team were going over plays while stuffing their faces in an unhealthy manner.

Chatter buzzed. Tonight was the night! Tonight Tarn Vedra High would kick the shit out of Seefra. Everyone was sure of that.

Obnoxious music played in the background. Rommie laughed as she took a sip of her soda.

"I _know_! When was the last time we heard this? Who _is_ this anyway? The Backstreet Boys?" she nibbled on her pizza.

"No…" Beka said, "I think this is NSync, not like there's a difference. Boy bands before puberty with a choreographer for a mom."

Trance giggled into her slice of extra-cheese. "No! This is…hm…this is…Smashmouth! Omigod! I haven't heard this in years!"

Harper looked at Gabe. "She's _your_ girlfriend," he smirked.

Rommie looked at Doyle. "He's _your_ boyfriend!" she laughed, seeing the look on Harper's face.

"So…you ready to whip Seefra into a pulp?" Dylan said in a pep-talk-y way.

A chorus of 'Hell yeah' came back to him, smelling distinctly of pepperoni.

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The game started in five minutes.Pish Tryan sat with his teammates. Their Seefra jerseys gave off aredish-orange glow. TheAbyss (their mascot) took of hisorange helmet.

"Tryan? What's the deal? How do we take care of Hunt?" the receiver asked.

"I don't care," the quarterback replied stiffly. "Just remove him from the game."

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Harper and Doyle took their seats; Trance and Rommie had run into the girls' locker room. Gabe ambled over to his group of friends. Harper pulled out a slingshot and started firing melted Maltballs at the Seefra cheerleaders (who just happened to be right in front of him).

Beka was sitting in front of them. "Hey guys," she said as she sat down.

"Hey, Bekers!" Harper said warmly. He handed her a High-Gaurd pennant. "You might want this," he said.

"Ooh," whispered Doyle. "Ooh, there'sPish Tryan!"

"Excuse me?" Harper asked.

"The QB, he's like…he's like Seefra's Dylan Hunt. Oh, and look! There's his girlfriend! Captain of cheerleading team, don't ya know!" she pointed.

"And…there's Charlie!" Doyle gasped.

"Who's Charlie?" Beka asked, almost afraid to know.

"He was, he was…uhm," she glanced at Harper. "He was…my steady boyfriend."

Harper choked.

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The football team sat on the bench. Dylan and the coach were going over plays. Rhade looked into the crowd. He could just spot Beka over the mass of people.

He wasn't nervous, it's not like he played at all, it was all Dylan, Dylan wins, and Dylan leads them into victory. As the second string QB, he'd never play.

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Rommie and Trance warmed up.

"You ready for tonight?" the captain asked excitedly.

"Yeah!" Trance giggled. She tied her hair into the red and navy ribbons.

"Alright! Let's go root for our team!" Rommie announced to the rest. She ran out of the doorway and onto the field.

The Seefra cheerleaders were going though their routine.

"Amateurs," Rommie muttered under her breath.

The Tarn Vedra Band struck up the Alma Mater as the cheerleaders took their seats. The Home team ran out amongst cheers from the Tarn Vedra students.

The Seefra band struck up the _Rocky_ anthem as their team ran onto the field. Theorange mass cheered and yelled.

The game began. Tarn Vedra took the lead as they scored a touchdown immediately. The Seefra players mumbled under their breath as Gordy Kings made the field goal. The game continued on like that until the middle of the third period. Tryan and his pals patted a huge player on the back as he walked forward.

On the next play, Dylan threw the pass, he turned to run when someone reached out and kicked his leg out from under him. With a sickening lurch, he felt his ankle go numb. He collapsed onto the ground.

_Boo_s and _hiss_es came from the crowd. The coach ran out and picked Dylan up.

"Hunt! Hunt, what's wrong?" he asked, struggling under Dylan's weight.

"Leg…numb," he grunted in reply.

The coach sat Dylan down on the chair gingerly.

"Rhade!" he yelled.

Dylan tried to stand, but wobbled and fell over.

"No, sit!" the man commanded.

Steve ran up to the coach. " Yeah?"

"You're going in," he said solemnly.

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"Beka! Look!" Doyle shouted over the din.

Beka watched as Rhade jogged onto the field. "He's going in?" she asked amazed.

"Yeah, Dylan got murdered by those evil, conniving bastards!" Doyle growled.

"Calm down," Harper said, holding onto her arm.

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Near the end of the fourth quarter, the two teams were tied. Having taken Dylan out of the equation, Tryan thought they had a pretty good chance of winning. If only, Tarn Vedra didn't have such a damn good defensive line. 'This Steve Rhade is no Dylan Hunt, no wonder he isn't captain' thought Tryan.

The last three minutes of the game, Seefra had one down, Tarn Vedra had backed itself into a corner, there was no way they could make this.

Two minutes gone by. The orange fans started cheering IT'S ALL OVER! over and over again, the Vedrans were spooked out.

Suddenly, Rhade intercepted a pass and made a mad dash. The running back got wiped out, along with the receiver, his Navy helmet flying off. He would have to do this alone.

Sprinting down the field, he could hear wind rush by his ears. He had just about crossed the last line, when Tryan bowled him over.

The clock ran out.

The fans went through another round of IT'S ALL OVER.

Beka held her breath.

The referee walked up to them.

Slowly, Tryan got up.

They all gasped.

Rhade was lying past the line. He clutched the ball in a fetal position.

He had made it!

The crowd erupted into cheers as the commentators laughed at Steve's good luck. Tarn Vedra had won the game!

Time seemed to freeze.

The cheerleaders got up and went into their routine. The Band started playing _Toxic_ by Britney Spears.

Beka leaped out of the stands.

Dylan hugged his girlfriend, Sarah.

Doyle and Harper threw popcorn at the cheerleaders, just as they realized that they had melted chocolate in their hair.

Trance spun around. Her skirt twirling with her movements. She felt beautiful.

Beka ran down the field, where Rhade was just standing up, he was gently pressing his fingers to his chest, testing the area. She crashed into him, smothering him with kisses-punctuated with laughs.

The referee respectfully draped the Tarn Vedra flag over them.

Rommie lifted Trance up as the music ended.

It was the happiest scene you could ever imagine (nix the bunnies, rainbows, and elves). Rommie had her boyfriend, Trance had finally fit in, Beka and Rhade were standing up-amid cheers and hoots, Dylan had survived his relationship and found another, Harper and Doyle were laughing hysterically, and Tarn Vedra had won their last game.

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Beka woke up, she was sitting at the bar in Seefra. Harper was arguing with Doyle, Trance and Dylan were playing cards, and Rhade was staring at her.

"You're on my shoulder," he said mildly.

Sure enough, she had fallen asleep on Rhade's shoulder.

"Why didn't you wake me up!" she asked.

"I knew it was better to let you sleep, Matriarch," he replied.

Beka kissed Rhade roughly on the mouth before standing up. She had completely forgotten her dream.

AN: I know, I know, but how else could I have ended it? I didn't want to do a sequel. Anyway…tell me what you think, please! Sorry, the Spears moment, when I was at a parade one of the High School Bands played that and I just thought that was really cool.


	9. It was all a dream

AN: This is for Vee017, because she asked me to do a "pseudo-sequel" based off of the kiss Beka gave Rhade. Hope you guys appreciate this!

Disclaimer: Don't own Andromeda characters…if I did I wouldn't have to write fanfiction, now would I? I would be making millions already-and would now own a chalet in the Alps, where I would bathe in diamonds everyday and have champagne and strawberries for every meal…:sigh:

Chapter 9 ?

Rhade sipped his drink quietly. Beka had fallen asleep on his shoulder and to let her rest, he moved his arm as little as possible.

Suddenly, Doyle and Harper burst into argument.

"No! I paid for this drink already!" Doyle shouted.

"Oh, no you did not," Harper replied. "I don't have any record!"

Doyle reached out to slap at Harper.

Rhade sighed, just another day in paradise. He looked over to Trance and Dylan.

Trance flipped a card over. "Yes!" she said happily.

"Are you sure you haven't played before?" Dylan asked her.

Trance nodded happily. She shuffled the deck. Dylan finished his drink and looked at his cards.

Trance splayed out an enviable hand. Dylan muttered darkly.

He felt Beka stir. He took a tiny sip, all the while watching Beka through the corner of his eye.

"Morning," he said. "You're on my shoulder."

"Why didn't you wake me up!" she asked, exasperated.

"I knew it was better to let you sleep, matriarch."

She gazed around, taking in everything as if looking at it for the first time. Suddenly, she got up, and, gulping down Rhade's drink, kissed him square on the mouth. Then walked off as if nothing had happened.

'What just happened?' he thought wildly.

Slow clapping came from Harper and Doyle, who had been watching the whole thing. Dylan looked up.

"What happened?" he asked.

'Good question,' Rhade replied mentally. He watched Beka walk out of the bar and into the daylight.

AN: Short, but what did you expect? I tried to come up with a tidy ending in a short amount of time!


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